1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mode selecting and displaying control apparatus and, more particularly, to a mode selecting and displaying control apparatus used for a camera and designed to facilitate mode selection, in a camera capable of selecting photographic modes, by effectively performing mode selecting and displaying operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional camera capable of selecting photographic modes, modes set in the camera, such as an operation mode and a flash mode, are displayed on a display portion of the camera. Such a camera has a flash switch (FLASHSW), a subject switch (SUBJECTSW), a drive switch (DRIVESW), and the like in correspondence with the respective modes. Every time such a switch (SW) is depressed, the displayed mode changes. For example, when the flash switch FLASHSW for the flash mode is consecutively depressed, the displayed mode changes as follows: AUTO (automatic photographic mode) OFF.fwdarw.(automatic photographic mode OFF).fwdarw.FILL-IN (flash mode).fwdarw.AUTO.
The camera having such a display portion, however, can display only the current mode. Therefore, if another mode is to be selected, a user must recall which mode can be set next. Otherwise, the user cannot know which mode is displayed next, unless he/she depresses a switch. In addition, the user cannot tell what kinds of modes the camera has.
Especially, as the number of times of mode selection is increased, the above-mentioned inconveniences become conspicuous. Furthermore, in a cyclic display scheme, when a target mode is displayed, and the next mode is subsequently displayed, it requires a cumbersome operation to select the same target mode.